Self-determination is a great thing. Unfortunately, the majority of students realize it way too late. And they are not to blame. While in school, life gets way too exciting. You need to keep in touch with everything that goes around with your classmates, and in the end, you don’t think that much about your studies. But you promise yourself that you will focus on your studies when in college.
So, college. While at first, you manage to focus on the studies, your attention slowly starts drifting away. Your college life is way more interesting than the subjects. The dating life offers plenty of fish, far more than you could offer at school. The parties are wilder than you could’ve ever imagined in your high school years. Basically, you remember your studies when you have to prepare for the exam.
From time to time, you can also remember why you’ve enrolled in college when doing some essay writing work. But that’s only when you’re passionate enough about it. As lots of it can be done with the help of an essay editing service. And in between surviving failed relationships and after-party-hangovers, you end up graduating from college. Ready to focus on your first entry-level job.
In case you’re planning to devote yourself to UI or UX design – there are plenty of entry-level jobs for the start of your career on the market. But mind that studying hard isn’t always enough. So, before going through possible vacancies, you need to figure out how to become a perfect applicant. It’s not like you’re going to be picked simply on the grounds that you have a degree in the subject. There are few simple and useful tips for you to check.
How to Land Your First Entry-Level Design Job
While there is a difference between the jobs of user interface and user experience designers, first-time applicants generally make the same mistakes. Sometimes they are too focused on coding instead of design. Sometimes they try to show off their skills in something that they are least experienced. To avoid it, you need to follow these simple rules:
Design First
Coding is great, but you should focus on the design first of all. While coding is definitely a part of your job, as an applicant you need to sell yourself as a designer first and foremost. So, drop the coding. You will be able to sharpen your skills in it later. Focus on designing the interface, the prospective apps. That’s what your prospective employer is expecting from you.
Don’t Be Ashamed to Imitate
Lots and lots of applicants are trying to show off their unique talent. And that’s great. But it’s not always the best way to land your entry-level UI/UX job. Moreover, your talent may not get the level of appreciation that you are expecting. Thus, you need to showcase something that your possible employer is expecting from you. Don’t be ashamed to imitate other designers’ works. It’s okay to imitate, it’s not okay to steal.
Only Strong Skills
When representing your skills, mention only things that you are the strongest at. Yes, you may want to mention certain skills that you’d like to develop but it is better to avoid them for the time being. Your prospective employer is expecting you to excel in things presented to him. Thus, mention only things you are actually strong in, not things you can probably be good at.
Acquire a User Experience Certificate Online
The Uxcel design certification course is a comprehensive training program that teaches individuals user experience (UX) design principles and practices. The course covers various topics, including user research, design thinking, prototyping, and user testing. Students learn how to create effective and user-centered design solutions through hands-on exercises, case studies, and real-world projects. Upon completion of the course, students will receive a certification recognizing their skills and UX design knowledge. It is suitable for professionals and students looking to advance their careers in the field of UX design.
Keep Your Portfolio Simple
You want to show your versatility and everything you can do. That’s the reason why many applicants for UI/UX designer entry-level jobs create sites that imitate large companies and businesses. But, unless you’re a true wunderkind, you should avoid it. Take more of a personal branding approach. Keep your portfolio as simple as about, works, contacts. That’s enough.
Yet, Don’t Limit Yourself
Previous points suggested certain limitations, still, you don’t need to limit yourself to strictly, let’s say, online brochures. Allow yourself certain freedom. You can create projects with user interaction in order to showcase your talent. But it should be quality over quantity. Four or five projects are just enough to catch the interest of your prospective employer. Provided those projects are good.
Your Prospects
Now that we’ve gone through all the useful tips, it is time to check out your job opportunities. Most likely you’ve already checked your prospects on your own, but we’ve collected several variants for you as well. And we offer you to check them without any further ado.
Entry-Level UX Designer at IBM
To apply for the job, you need to send your resume and portfolio. But keep in mind that your social media profile won’t be considered as a portfolio. So, better to send it in PDF or Mural format. The job will require you to design the architecture and functions of user experience, as well interaction patterns between functions and end-users. You will also be involved in planning the variations of users’ context.
Entry-Level UI Designer at Sargent & Lundy
The requirements for this job are Bachelor’s degree in User Interface Development and Graphic Design. You also need to have working experience with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP. Intermediate knowledge of Google Analytics is welcomed as well. This job will require you to provide solutions for websites and landing pages for both external users and internal staff of various platforms and mobile applications.
Junior UI/UX Designer at Groupvisual.IO
To apply for this job you need to have a Bachelor’s degree in Design, an online portfolio showcasing your abilities, and experience with tools like Sketch and Illustrator. The company is hiring applicants with zero to up to three years of experience. Thus, even with little to no experience, you can join the team to work on projects from ground zero.
UI/UX and Generalist Game Designer at Playable Worlds Inc.
If you have an understanding of modern UI/UX trends, and a portfolio of trends, then you can apply for this position. Here your responsibilities will be analyzing user experience for various in-game systems. You will also storyboard user experiences. And that’s a nice opportunity, especially if you enjoy computer games.
Entry-Level Associate Designer at IBM
At this job, you will explore opportunities for digital innovations to address end-user needs. You will be involved in creating state-of-art digital experiences. To apply for this job, you need either professional or university-based experience with UI/UX design and a portfolio that can prove it. You must also be experienced with Adobe Creative Suite.
